2008 Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion

The Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion for 2008 was awarded by the Society of Architectural Historians to Eitan Karol for his book, Charles Holden, published by Shaun Tyas in 2007.

This book, which emerged from a PhD thesis, takes as its subject the architect Charles Holden (1875-1960), whose career started in Manchester in the 1890s, but who is best known as architect of London’s Piccadilly Line extensions and the University of London’s Senate House in the 1930s.

The judging panel was impressed by Karol’s highly readable text and objective stance. The author had clearly achieved a good balance between the analysis of the Holden’s own creative ideas and the influence of clients, money and technology. The intellectual and cultural forces that shaped Holden’s work were shown to include the Arts and Crafts Movement, the poetry of Walt Whitman and his experience of working on hospitals with Adams & Pearson, before moving on to work for London Transport under Frank Pick.

The judges found this book meticulously researched and handsomely produced, with many hitherto unpublished designs and sketches. Karol has included a comprehensive four-page gazetteer and an extensive bibliography. This will undoubtedly remain the standard work on this architect for years to come.